Guitar basics: Perfect open chords

MusicRadar shows you how to fret chords correctly

Fretting chords can be a tricky business, especially if you've just started playing. There are quite a few factors to bear in mind, like finger and thumb positioning, fretting accuracy and strumming the correct strings.

It's worth taking the time to get your technique right at the beginning of your playing 'career' as it's more difficult to undo poor technique once it's been ingrained over a period of time. Although it can be frustrating working on seemingly insignificant changes to your technique, like small change in thumb position, it will pay off when you can fret chords perfectly without thinking about it.

This tutorial shows you how to position your fingers and thumb correctly to avoid fret buzz and dead strings as well as showing you how to avoid unnecessary tension that may cause damage to your precious fretting hand.

We've also put together a set of 10 chords that we feel every guitarist should know. Make sure you learn the names as well as the finger patterns.